Death Note High
by ntait94
Summary: Light Yagami is the star athlete at his high school and he is going to be valedictorian. However, Light's dark side begins to show through when his girlfriend Misa disappears. Of course, L is on the case.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue:**

_August 19, 2004 11:39 PM_

_I won't bother with introductions. Besides, I don't see a point in introducing myself to a journal. However, in the event that someone were to read this, my name is Light Yagami. _

_The purpose of me using this notebook is to keep my thoughts together. I think much more clearly when all my thoughts are written down. Writing here will also suppress my boredom. Nothing has been able to keep my interest lately. Not my girlfriend, schoolwork , sports, etc. And in my boredom, I have come to realize what a rotten place the world has become. Most of the people I know waste their lives away with petty problems and temporary fetishes. What kind of life is that? Most of them won't even end up contributing much to society, in fact, a lot of my classmates will bring society down._

_I realize that many other s see this problem, but I seem to be the only one who wants to do something about it. This brings me to the purpose of this notebook._

_I am naming this book, the Death Notebook. As it will keep my thoughts together on how to deal with this problem. The only way to stop these people from destroying society is to destroy them first. If I can do this without drawing attention to myself, then my plan will be a success._

_I have to give more thought to this plan if it is going to be a success. When I develop a plan, I will write it here. For now, this is all I will write._

_~Light Yagami_


	2. The First Day

**Disclaimer**

Ryuzaki walked up the familiar stairs that lead to his high school. He held his book, _Modern Philosophy, _delicately between his thumb and pointer finger. He wasn't a person who made a huge deal over appearances, so his dark hair ran wild and he wore the same ensemble he had worn for almost as long as he could remember: a baggy white shirt, a pair of jeans, and shoes without socks.

To most people, he was of no importance. If anyone regarded the strange man, they would label him as an outcast, as Ryuzaki always seemed to be in his own world.

It was like this for the other children who were in the care of Quillish Wammy. A now retired ambassador, he faked his own death so that he could enjoy his retirement in peace with his foster children. For obvious security reasons, he created aliases for them all.

Nate River, the youngest, gained the alias, Near. He was a nearly emotionless teenager who, though he was incredibly intelligent, he always was playing with a new gadget, or "toy" as he would rather call them. He virtually had no friends, but didn't seem to mind very much.

Mihael Keehl, or Mello, was almost the opposite of Near. Being more outspoken, he became, in a way, the school rebel. Though he never actually got caught, everyone knew that the pranks within the school were Mello's doing. Mello could always be seen with at least one girl clinging to him. In fact, there were a group of girls who may have dreamed about being with Mello. They called themselves his "mafia."

Mail Jeevas, or Matt was virtually invisible at the school. He was always engulfed in his videogames and often skipped class to play games or smoke outside the school. Though he was just as intelligent as his foster brothers, he didn't like to show it because he felt that he had no motive to participate in school.

L Lawliet had many aliases, but preferred to be called Ryuzaki while in school. Out of all the foster brothers, he was by far the most interesting and intellectual.

None of the foster brothers ever said much to one another. They all lived fairly separate lives. So Ryuzaki walked up the steps to the high school, alone and quietly, with his nose in his book. He was completely engulfed in the book when his best friend, Light Yagami, startled him by waving his hand in front of Ryuzaki's face. Ryuzaki gave a little jump, but slowly brought the book down from his face and stared at Light with a questioning look on his face.

"Ryuzaki, I sometimes wonder how you can stay in your own world like that…" Light said solemnly. He wished that his friend would branch out more in his senior year, but he figured that Ryuzaki didn't mind where he stood, socially. Ryuzaki seemed to be past the point of caring about his social life. Not because he was a loser, but because he was mature enough to understand that it really didn't matter much.

"I'm simply preoccupied with my reading today, Light. It is a very fascinating book." Ryuzaki said in his low, but calm voice. Light quickly grabbed the book from his friend's hands and read the title.

"Modern philosophy?" Light looked at his friend accusingly, "Ryuzaki, you do know this is a college level textbook, right?" Light handed the book back. Ryuzaki answered with a shrug and continued his reading.

Light soon gave up on beginning a conversation with Ryuzaki. It wasn't that Ryuzaki was being rude, or that he didn't want to talk, it was just the fact that if he had nothing important to say, he didn't speak. Ryuzaki seemed to be more of an adult already than anyone else at school.

The school sounded like a beehive when Light reached the door. The halls were flooded with people making their way to class or talking in a circle of friends. It all looked very vivid with the strangeness of being back at school after the summer, but it was dulled down by the smells of body odor and whatever food someone nearby was eating. Light walked down the halls of the school until he reached his locker, the same one he had used since his freshman year, when he heard a shrill shriek come from behind him.

"Light!" his girlfriend, Misa shouted as she ran up to hug him, "I missed you so much! We barely got to see each other all summer, what with you at basketball camp! How are you?" She talked so fast, and in such a high pitch, that it gave Light a headache.

Light had trouble not rolling his eyes at this girl. She was so…superficial you would think she was plastic. She was what Hollywood would depict a head cheerleader to look like. Misa looked and acted like the nicest person you could ever meet, but behind that veil, Light knew what a witch she could be. Light was only with her because it was what the school expected. He stepped away from her embrace and they caught up on what they did the past summer. Mostly Misa did all the talking.

By the time the bell rang, Light was relieved to have an excuse to say goodbye to her. Nothing she was saying was anything he truly cared about, since Misa was in no way a very smart girl. The only two people Light could actually relate to was Ryuzaki and Kiyomi Takada, his friend from homeroom. All his other friends were jocks who got their entertainment from being rude to girls and people who didn't fit their social criteria.

Light walked in to his first period class- English 12. He was relieved to see Ryuzaki sitting quietly in the back of the class amid the chaos that was going on all around the classroom. Paper airplanes were scattered across the linoleum floors, people were shooting spit wads, classmates were talking over each other about their summer, and if you weren't a part of that chaos, it would slightly resemble a jungle.

Light kept to himself while he walked to the back of the classroom to sit by Ryuzaki. People said hello to him as he passed, but the most acknowledgement Light gave those people was a tiny wave. Mello sat in a desk with a sly smile on his face and three girls were complimenting him and playing with his hair. Once he reached the desk next to Ryuzaki, he realized that his friend appeared to be completely oblivious to everything else going on in the classroom. He was still reading that boring book.

"Light, do you wish to speak to me? You've been staring at me the past few minutes." Ryuzaki said slowly, just barely glancing up from his book. His wild, black hair covered his like colored eyes that reflected focus and determination, and those eyes shrouded him in mystery.

"It's nothing important. I was just looking over at your book." Light replied. He slightly heard Ryuzaki mumble a reply, but couldn't make out what he said. Light turned his attention to his unmanageable classmates. _How can they be content acting so immature? _He thought. _Most of these kids will never take their lives seriously. This school, this city… it's all…rotting._

The teacher ambled out of his desk and to the front of the room. He began to preach about what would be expected out of the class. Light tuned it out. He was preoccupied with his thoughts on the current state of things. He wasn't the only one who wasn't paying attention. The teacher didn't really seem to notice the lack of listeners.

Other students were carrying on their conversations from before the bell, while others simply stared blankly towards the front of the room. It looked as if their minds had been unplugged. You could almost see the drips of drool escaping their mouths. Ryuzaki continued to read his book, as he knew nothing on the first day was of much importance. He quietly snacked on some cookies he snuck into the classroom.

"Ryuzaki," the teacher spoke in an extremely unenthused voice, "Please sit properly in your seat." It was always interesting how though the other students paid no attention to Ryuzaki, the teachers always seemed to pick on him. Most teachers commented on his sitting position. He held his knees to his chest as if he were about to cling to them with his arms. "And put your shoes back on, it's very disrespectful."

The wild haired boy stared up at the teacher innocently until he continued on with the lesson in his monotonic voice as if nothing had happened. Ryuzaki went back to reading his book. He looked over at Light who was staring at his notebook. It was always so easy to tell when Light was in deep thought, but Ryuzaki never knew how to ask his friend what was on his mind.

Light caught Ryuzaki's questioning look in a side glance. He shook his head and went back to his thoughts. _I have to do something about this problem. Or else, people will continue to live their lives in vain. I need to somehow make an impact and teach these people a lesson…_

**Thanks for reading!**

**I know the story kind of sounds superficial right now, and reviews are helpful so I can make it better.**

**Reviews= Love  
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	3. Fire

**Disclaimer...**

Matt parked his car in the school parking lot. He was about two hours late to school. However, this didn't bother him. There were two reasons for this. First, he came just in time to watch the cheerleaders have their practice, and second because he honestly couldn't care less about school. He often quoted himself with, "What's the point anyway?"

So instead of going to his classes, he lit up a cigarette and sat down on a bench overlooking the football field. Matt watched the cheerleaders intently for a few minutes, but then pulled out his new hand held gaming system and began to play. Like any other time, Matt went into his own little bubble where he put himself into the videogame. Where instead of controlling his character with his thumbs, he could see himself as the character; jumping over hurdles and shooting at random enemies as he pushed forward in the level. Once he passed the level, Matt straightened his orange goggles and stretched his arms outward.

He jumped when he accidentally bumped Near in the head with his arm. The white haired boy simply stared at his foster brother and twirled his hair in his finger. "Sorry, Near. I didn't notice you there." Matt apologized. Near gave a little grunt in reply and Matt went back to his game.

There was probably something on Near's mind, but like any other time he had something to say, no one cared enough to ask what was on his mind. Near tried to enjoy Matt's company for the moment.

"I don't understand why these girls must spell everything out," Near finally said.

Matt briefly looked up from his game, "Huh? Oh, yeah. It's a little unnecessary I think." They returned to sitting in silence. The cheerleaders always smiled and laughed; as if there were a never-ending inside joke between them all. They threw their arms in different directions and flexibly kicked their legs into the air, all while spelling the word "awesome." It was all very boring for Near to watch. He felt like a loser. To a lot of people, he was.

Near only spoke to people if they spoke to him first. So he gave the impression that he was too good for anyone. He may have even thought that way. But no one could tell what he was thinking through his blank expression. He looked somewhat exotic because of his white hair and the way he carried himself; he always carried some kind of new tech gadget, or as Near liked to call them, "toys." However, people were used to seeing him, so eventually, Near just faded into the background. This didn't concern him, though.

The bell rang from the side of the building and the cheerleaders wrapped up their practice. Near slowly got to his feet and walked towards the school. He didn't bother telling Matt to get up. He was off in his own world, and he wouldn't want to come inside anyway. His cigarette was only halfway used.

The cheerleaders approached the bench where Matt was sitting. They whispered about him, calling him a freak. It was a very cowardly thing to do, seeing as none of them would ever say that to Matt's face.

Misa overheard what they were saying, and she mumbled that none of them really knew Matt. However, even she thought Matt and all of his foster brothers were strange in different ways. She only pretended to like them since Ryuzaki was Light's best friend and she didn't want to anger him. _If I act nice to people, I can get more of what I want in life, _she thought. Misa realized that she was lagging behind the rest of her cheerleading friends and ran to catch up to them.

The group of girls reached the school, still laughing and talking to each other. If someone were to catch a fragment of their conversation, they would wonder how they all could laugh so hard and so long. Nothing they said was funny at all. Most of it was offensive, especially if you were the target of their conversation.

Ryuzaki glanced up from his laptop to see the cheerleaders pass. He wondered how someone like Light could end up to be paired with one of them. He came to the conclusion that it was for social purposes instead of actual feelings, at least on Light's part. Misa was completely oblivious to the fact that she was in a one sided relationship.

In that split second glance he saw her: the beautiful and brilliant, Dahlia. She walked past Ryuzaki as if she were a dark angel walking on clouds. She had that sort of radiance about her. Dahlia had long, jet black hair, almost the same color as Ryuzaki's. Her eyes were a brilliant blue that accented her perfect, pale face and contrasted with her hair. She caught Ryuzaki's stare briefly and smirked at him, still walking away from where he was sitting. The entire moment felt like a year had gone by.

Ryuzaki felt his face turn hot as she walked away. His normally focused eyes softened as he lost himself in thought. He absentmindedly snacked on the marshmallows he was carrying along with him while he typed on his laptop. A hobby of his was to anonymously solve mysteries for police departments and detective agencies. He especially enjoyed solving the murder cases. At the moment, he was attempting to solve a case that took place in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A mysterious man had kidnapped three girls who their parents claimed were walking to a nearby gas station. Nevertheless, the clues of the case made it seem as though the kidnapper had been stalking each of them for months, planned to capture them on that night, and made it seem as though he had just picked them up. The girls were found dead due to overdose and starvation in an abandoned building on the south side of town.

However, Ryuzaki couldn't think at the moment, as his thoughts were consumed by the thought of Dahlia. He dreamed of her holding him, kissing him… but how would that ever become a reality?

Suddenly, the intermittent fire alarm sounded and all the students began to panic and run to the nearest exit. Ryuzaki quickly packed his laptop so it wouldn't be ruined, and calmly made his way outside. By the time he got there, he was drenched from the water coming from the ceiling.

He looked over to his right and saw Mello standing by the flag with a satisfied smirk on his face. For the first time in a long while, there weren't any girls throwing themselves at him. Ryuzaki walked over to him. Obviously, the fire alarm was Mello's fault.

"You know, if you actually studied for your tests, you wouldn't have to go to the trouble of creating a scenario like this," Ryuzaki said in his low voice.

Mello laughed at the joke. "You know I don't need to study. I was just bored. Besides, there won't be class for the rest of the day now. I just have to get rid of these gloves before I get caught." Ryuzaki looked at the pair of gloves in Mello's hand. They were stained with purple ink from the fire alarm. This was so any student who pulled the alarm would be caught. But, Mello hadn't yet been held responsible for any prank he may have done. Everyone knew it was him, but there wasn't any way to prove it.

Matt rushed up to Mello and punched his shoulder. "Man, I was wondering what was going to be your first prank of the year. Figures it was on the first day," Matt said with a huge smile. Matt and Mello began to talk about the events that had just happened, and Ryuzaki quietly let them be.

He eyed over the crowd to see if he could find Light from where he was standing. He couldn't see his friend anywhere. But seeing as there were hundreds of students at the school, the chances of him finding Light were 10 percent. He resolved that it wasn't worth a full search.

There was a light tap of Ryuzaki's shoulder. He whipped around to see who was behind him, and surprisingly, he looked up from his slouched stance to see Dahlia smiling at him.

The fire alarm was the perfect chance for Light to slip away in all the chaos of kids running out to escape the flames… wherever the fire was. If it even was real.

Light was in his car, turning on the ignition before even half of the student body was outside. What he was about to do, he couldn't be caught at school with. The whole plan would be destroyed. Light drove up the freeway, slightly going over the speed limit. He was extremely eager to get home where he could get started.

He finally reached his street after what seemed like a lifetime. The car made a swift turn into the driveway of the elegant house. Light shut the car off, yanked the keys out, and ran for the door. He ran up the stairs to his room, passing by his mother so quickly she barely noticed he went past. He locked himself in his dark room, not even bothering to turn on the lights.

Light reached for a pen, and began to write in a notebook. At the top of the page, he wrote the date: August 19, 2004. After all the excitement, Light only managed to come up with a few paragraphs concerning his idea._ I really have to think this through. If I make one mistake, I will be caught, and everything will fail._ Light looked over his first entry into his newly named "Death Notebook." He realized that it was a stupid thing to do, introducing himself. If someone found the notebook by mistake, he would be revealed. Light erased his name out of the entry and in its place wrote the alias, Kira, the Japanese word for "killer."

The phone rang outside Light's room. His mother answered it. Light checked the time…it was already 5:30. "Light, the phone's for you! It's your brother!"

Light ran downstairs to take the phone from his mother. She smiled politely at her son as he thanked her for handing him the phone. In his head, he was praying it wasn't Misa. "Hello?" Light asked as soon as he got back into his room.

"Hey, Light, how's my little brother?" the voice on the phone asked. It almost sounded remorseful.

"Ryuk! I'm doing great! But since when do you call?" Ryuk had left home a few years back to live in Europe. He rarely ever called home, as it was the very thing he was trying to get away from.

"Since now. Is everything at home okay? I know you're a senior this year." Ryuk's voice was slow, but he sounded hoarse. It was strange after not hearing that for so long.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Not much has changed since you left. Dad's still always with the police force and he's still never home." Light knew that one of the reasons his brother left was so that their father wouldn't press becoming a police officer on him. Light didn't mind the pressure, but it wasn't what Ryuk wanted to do with his life.

"I thought so. Well, I called so I could hear about your senior year. How is it all going?" There was a crunch in the background, "Sorry about that, I haven't had my apple of the day yet today. You know the saying right?"

"Ryuk, with as many apples as you eat a day, I don't think the doctor will come anywhere near you." Ryuk chuckled at Light's jab. Light told his brother about his strange best friend, his annoying girlfriend, and sports. The only other thing worthy of talking about was the Death Notebook.

"Hey, Ryuk? If I tell you something that was so bad, it would be worthy of getting me thrown in jail, could I trust you to keep it a secret from everybody?" Light had a wary tone in his voice. He used to tell Ryuk everything, and he would get advice, but his brother never told anyone any of Light's secrets. He wondered if it was still the same after all this time.

"Definitely. I kind of miss you coming into my room late at night to ask me for advice about girls," Ryuk laughed quietly, "What's on your mind?"

Light hesitated for a few seconds. Ryuk seemed to be the same as before, and Light really did trust him more than anyone. "I was thinking today…" and Light proceeded to tell his older brother of his plan to teach the world a lesson. "I haven't worked out many details on how to go through with it, but I write everything I say or do involving the plan in what I call my Death Notebook. How do you think I should go about this?"

"I think you're on the right track. I'll help you with your plan just as long as it doesn't involve people getting hurt. For the impact you were talking about, I would start to think about shock value. What makes people look at an article in the paper, or turn the news up? You gotta get creative with it." There was another crunch from Ryuk's apple in the background. Light considered this, and was glad he got a second opinion. He was already considering shock value.

A few seconds later, Light could hear a door opening in the background on the phone. Ryuk quickly said goodbye to Light, and hung up the phone. Normally, Light would have wondered who had made Ryuk hang up so quickly, but today, all he could think about was what he would write next in his Death Notebook.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**Just a note... Dahlia is obviously just a character I made up. I felt like Ryuzaki's side of the story was getting to be boring from his point of view, so I put Dahlia in.**

**Reviews= Love!**


	4. Silence

**I'm done writing disclaimers now…I think we all know I'm not taking credit for Death Note :)**

_Outside the school after the fire alarm was pulled…_

Ryuzaki quickly looked behind him to see the face of the person who tapped his shoulder. His dark eyes were wide, and they widened even larger when he saw who it was. He somewhat resembled a raccoon because of it.

Dahlia looked down and smiled at his reaction. Ryuzaki would have been taller than her if he didn't have such an irregular slouch. A lot of the girls thought he was odd looking. However, Dahlia thought that made him look all the more handsome. She saw people differently than most…you could say she saw _through _them. And what she saw in Ryuzaki intrigued her.

It was obvious Ryuzaki wouldn't be the first to speak. He was just so shocked; he didn't even believe she meant to get his attention. Why would she? "Hello Ryuzaki," she said in a soothing voice. The two words slipped out of her mouth like water; calm and quiet…beautiful.

"Hi…" Ryuzaki replied sheepishly. He looked at the ground and scratched his left leg with his right foot, something he did when he was nervous. Of course, it was almost impossible to tell if he was or not. His face remained expressionless. Dahlia picked up on it, though, and smirked. To her, it was cute that Ryuzaki was nervous.

"I like your shirt. It really brings out your eyes," Dahlia stated lightheartedly. Ryuzaki looked at her, confused. _I always wear this shirt. Why would she comment on it? What is the motive behind this? She must want a favor. That would be the only reason someone like her would even pretend to be nice to me…unless… _"Ryuzaki?" Dahlia asked, puzzled at his lack of response.

"Oh…thanks." Ryuzaki put his hand on the back of his head. He felt his face get hot again. He kept his eyes focused on the ground so that maybe she wouldn't see…

"It's really cute," Dahlia said, breaking the silence. Her face was serious, but there was something behind it Ryuzaki couldn't comprehend. He looked up from the ground and into her nearly hypnotic eyes, puzzled. "Sorry, I don't understand. What is cute?" Ryuzaki questioned. He was still in shock that she was even talking to him, but her lack of clarification as to what she really wanted was making him nervous.

"If I said, 'everything about you,' would that make me sound cheesy?" Dahlia smiled. It was reassuring. _Is this a joke? What personal gain could she possibly be receiving from this conversation? Does she know about my secret occupation? She couldn't possibly…so much money has been invested in the keeping of that secret. Watari made sure it was kept a secret, only he knows._

"I suppose it does. However, I can see this is increasingly becoming a one-sided conversation, so I'll get to my point," she was still smirking as she said this.

_Finally. Yet I still fear there is a sinister motive…but she doesn't seem like the type to hurt anyone. There is however, a 20 percent chance she isn't talking to me for a good reason…I can't ignore that. If she wanted to harm me, she would have made a move already, but instead, she is trying to create small talk. What could possibly be her motive? _Ryuzaki scratched his leg some more, and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. He was extremely tense.

After those thirty seconds of silence, Dahlia finally spoke, "I would just like to know what you had planned for tonight? And if going on a date with me could become part of those plans?" Her face was serious, and her confidence slipped a little, in fear of rejection.

Ryuzaki let out a little gasp. This wasn't the motive he thought she was getting at. _She wants a…date? With me? This has to be a trap… but if I say no, she may never talk to me again. However, if I do go, there is almost a 40 percent chance that it will not end in my favor. I want to get to know her so badly, though._

Dahlia picked up on his indecision. She realized that Ryuzaki did not go out much, and had definitely never been asked out on a date. Ryuzaki was a thoughtful person, and she figured that she would be here a while if she waited for him to balance out his choices. "Would it be alright if I picked you up at seven?"

Ryuzaki snapped out of his train of thought, and looked directly at her again. His eyes were intimidating, yet Dahlia could tell he meant her no harm. To people who didn't know him well, his stare made them want to hide. "Seven would be fine," Ryuzaki replied. His stomach jumped. The decision was abrupt, and he silently began to panic as to whether it was a good one or not.

"Great," Dahlia's smile grew from a tiny smirk, to all across her face, "What's your address?" Ryuzaki blinked a few times. _Relax; she needs to know a place to pick me up. She does not want to know my address so she can harm me or my family. However, I still can't risk it._

"Actually, would it be alright with you if we simply met somewhere? My parents don't like me to give out my address." There were so many lies in that statement. But, the excuse was necessary so that questions would not be asked.

Dahlia looked puzzled for a second, but then gave a look of understanding. "Sure. We can meet outside the Scheels at Jordan Creek Mall, and figure out where to go from there."

"That would be fine," Ryuzaki said slowly, looking at the ground again. An announcement came over the speakers that there was no fire, and that the students were permitted to leave the premises, if desired. Most of the students began to walk back inside to gather their things from their lockers.

"All right," Dahlia smiled. There was some strange resemblance to a depiction of Buddha. "I'll see you at seven then." Before Ryuzaki could come up with a reason not to go, Dahlia had begun to walk away. It still looked as though she was treading on clouds. _She is all too beautiful. Wait…did I just think that?_

The next day, Light walked into school with a new confidence. He smiled slyly whenever he looked at one of his classmates, causing them to quickly look away. He felt powerful. Almost godly. He was Kira. At least to his notebook, he was. But that was all the recognition he needed.

Even Misa had trouble holding a conversation with him. Light was off in his own world, and not paying attention to her. Misa had to feel like the most important thing to someone when she was talking. Otherwise, she felt as though they weren't even worth her time.

Had she read Light's second entry that morning, she would want to transfer schools. Light decided to toy with the unintelligent girl, and pretend that he truly cared about the irrelevant things she was saying. "And then, she called me a slut. Can you believe her? Me? A slut? HA!" Misa stated, disgusted.

"She is obviously jealous," Light said. He didn't truly mean that, though.

"Well who wouldn't be?" Misa said, satisfied with Light's reaction, "So you know what I did to her? I told everyone that she and Mr. Schultz had sex in the back of his car last year. Who will be the slut now, Kara?" Misa smiled big and folded her arms in satisfaction with her deed. Light used to think she was pretty. Now, all he saw was an ugly girl dressed up to be a beautiful cheerleader. The bell sounded, and Misa and Light exchanged goodbyes.

Light smiled to himself and thought, _You don't even know what's coming, stupid girl._

Ryuzaki quietly read his book as he walked up the steps to the high school. He looked like he would any other day. As always, there were dark bags under his eyes, he wore the same outfit, still slouched as he walked, and he still held his book as usual. Today, however, there was something different about the quiet boy. Something radiated from him. He was happy, and though his face barely showed it, he deeply felt happy. Dahlia picked up on that as she brushed past him softly, and turned around to smile. Ryuzaki's eyes lit up as he blushed and smiled back. Dahlia giggled and strode away. She was glad she kissed him the previous night.

Light came home at his usual time. He sat at dinner, as he normally did, with his mother and sister. His father's absence was due to his job, but it wasn't unusual that he wasn't present at the dinner table. Light went up to complete his homework assignments as he usually did. He said his goodnights to his family at a reasonable time. And his family thought he was asleep at the time he should have been.

Everything was working out in Light's favor. Sometime around one in the morning, Light climbed out his window slowly and carefully, making sure he didn't disturb any of his family members. He opted not to take his car, as it would create too much noise. He was dressed in all black, and a hoodie shadowed his face.

He made his way over to the downtown area of the city. He had arranged for an acquaintance of his to meet him in the alleyway on 32nd street. Adam was a friend of Ryuk's . Light had kept his personal information, as he used to make great conversation before he became a drug addict. Light had requested for him to bring him potassium chloride in the form of a pill and a large quantity of heroin disguised as a over-the-counter drug. The potassium chloride was hard to find, as it had the potential to kill. Adam had to go through a lot to get it from a trusted client, and thus, it was highly expensive. This didn't concern Light, however.

Adam handed Light the pills, and requested his payment. Light smirked at the dirty looking man, and his eyes gleamed. He laughed as he furtively pulled a knife from the pocket of his hoodie just slightly. Adam didn't notice. Light gave a confused look in the direction behind Adam. When Adam turned around to see what Light was looking at, Light stabbed the man in the back. He gripped Adam's mouth so he wouldn't make a sound. Adam's eyes were wide, and he was crying.

Light carried Adam to a nearby dumpster, careful as to not leave a trace of blood, and left him there to die amongst the trash. Adam could barely move, his back hurt so badly. He looked up to see his last glimpse of moonlight as the lid on the dumpster closed on him. He slowly passed out from the blood loss. No one would know who Adam was since he carried a fake ID. No one would care because he was just another homeless drug addict anyway. The police would assume he was killed during a drug deal and leave it at that.

Light wiped off his knife with a towel he had brought with him. He walked to the river that was close to where the alley was, tied a rock to the towel and the knife, and dropped them both into the river.

He then made his way over to his girlfriend, Misa Amane's house.

Misa was asleep by the time Light reached her house. She heard a light tap on her window through her subconscious and woke up. She was a very light sleeper. At first she disregarded the noise to be her imagination, but then came a second tap. She crawled out of bed to investigate. She looked out her window to see Light looking up and smiling at her. He put his pointer finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. He motioned for Misa to come outside and meet him.

Misa was overjoyed. This was the kind of thing that happened in movies. She was so thrilled her parents weren't home. Maybe this would be the night she and Light would sleep together.

Once she was outside, she gave out a little squeak and ran to hug Light. He hugged her tightly back, and she whispered seductively into Light's ear, "My parent's aren't at home, if you would like to take this inside?"

"I was actually hoping we could go for a walk, if you don't mind. Perhaps afterward you can give me a tour of you room," Light winked after he said this. Misa was so thrilled she wanted to scream. But she didn't want her neighbor, who was watching over her to know she had left. "Can I use your bathroom though?" Light asked. Misa nodded. "Thanks. Just wait out here by that tree."

Light walked up to Misa's bedroom. The fact that her parents weren't home was extremely helpful to him. He made his way to Misa's bathroom. He took out the bottle of heroine he had in his sweatshirt pocket along with a needle. He filled the needle up and stopped it with a cover on the point. He placed the bottle in the farthest left of the three cabinets of the bathroom, opened. The label facing front, mimicking the way he had just been holding it. He left a bag of needles in the cabinet below the sink.

Light walked back outside to meet up with Misa. He smiled and held her hand. Misa's heart skipped a few beats. Light led her downtown. He wanted to take her to see something beautiful. Misa didn't like the idea of walking there because she didn't want to sweat, so Light carried her on his back. It wasn't a problem since she didn't weigh much. He gave her a drink of his water, "I thought you might be thirsty." Misa gladly drank half the bottle, and handed the rest to Light. "No thanks, I drank a lot before I came to get you."

About fifteen minutes later, Misa began to feel dizzy and hot. "Light I feel sick, maybe you should just carry me home." Light ignored her request, "Light! I need to go home!" Misa's pronunciation was slurred and lazy. Her perception of the world was blurry, but she couldn't think of why.

They reached a dark alley, but it didn't look that way to Misa. This part of town was, for the most part, abandoned. "Light, what did you want to show me? I really think I should be taken home." Misa tried to walk away, but soon found she had trouble walking.

"Here take another drink," Light said with his reassuring smile. He held a different bottle out towards Misa, but of course, she didn't notice the difference. She drank all of the water in the course of a minute. "Feeling better?" Light asked.

Misa shook her head, "I really think I need to go home." She felt panicked, but she couldn't think of a reason she should feel so. She trusted Light with all her heart. He would never do anything to hurt her, would he? So why did she feel like she had to be as far away from him as possible?

"Why don't we just sit here for a few minutes? Maybe you'll feel better then," Light said. "Actually, this might help." Light pricked Misa's skin with a needle. _Shit. _Light missed the vein. It was so hard to do this with his right hand. He pricked her again, and missed. Misa began to moan in pain. Light had injected the needle into her muscle. "Take a breath, you'll feel better soon," Light said in a soft reassuring voice as he finally injected the needle into a vein. Misa felt a little more relaxed.

Minutes passed. Misa was beginning to feel a strange feeling, even worse than the strange panic from before. She finally said, in a slurred voice, "Light, please take me home, it's cold out…" She suddenly stopped talking, and grabbed her chest. She fell limp onto the ground. Light's plan had worked up until this point.

He left her in the back of the alley in a sitting position. He reasoned that since the blood potassium and chloride levels would sky rocket after death, so there would be no trace of the chemical. It would look as though she had taken too many drugs, and that induced cardiac arrest. It may even look like a suicide. For now, Light was in the clear.

He walked home, shaking. Ready to write about the night's events in his journal.

**Thanks for reading!**

**Special thanks to CherryLawliet for reviews!**

**Along with not writing disclaimers, I'm done with "begging" for reviews :) I might put short author's notes here, but that will be all.**


	5. Subtle Reactions

Just like any other day, Ryuzaki took the limo he rode to school with Near. Matt and Mello had their own rides to school. The car ride was generally quiet except for Ryuzaki's page turns in his book. Today, he had begun a new book entitled, Cold Cases: The Unsolved Mysteries. He was highly engrossed in his reading, and paid no attention to Near. Near wasn't paying attention to Ryuzaki either. He was creating a fortress made of cards on his laptop with a game he designed.

The limousine reached the school. Watari, dressed as a chauffeur, said goodbye to his foster children, who absentmindedly thanked him for the ride as they left the large vehicle. The two received odd stares from their classmates, since neither of them looked like the "rich type," but of course, they gave no appearance of caring.

Dahlia was nearly in a fit that morning. Almost the second she woke up, she felt…off. Something did not feel right with her. She wasn't sick, but something was definitely wrong. This was unusual. Usually, Dahlia felt indifferent to the world. She was a spectator of life and she felt that she was nothing more.

Due to her feelings that morning, her driving was erratic and she couldn't concentrate on the road. Her mind was elsewhere, thinking about why she felt so strangely. And when she got to school, she barely noticed that she had knocked Ryuzaki over in her hysteria. "Oh, shit! Ryuzaki, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention, I didn't mean to-"

"Its fine, I'm not hurt," Ryuzaki interrupted, "Is something the matter? You appear to be rushed." Ryuzaki's eyes reflected worry. He had only been speaking to Dahlia for two full days now, but he already deeply cared about her. There was some almost supernatural thing that drew him to her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He spent the last few nights thinking about it. He still suspected her of being out to get him, however. But when she kissed him Monday night, Ryuzaki had never felt so good, even though it appeared she didn't mean to kiss him.

"Still, I'm so sorry about that," Dahlia apologized, "And no, nothing is wrong. I'm just not feeling myself today. Something isn't right. I just don't know what it is," Dahlia scanned the ground, refusing to make eye contact and bit her lip. This wasn't like her at all. Usually, she gave uninterrupted eye contact that made her look extremely confident and, to Ryuzaki, utterly breathtaking.

"Maybe it's the change in the weather. I heard on the radio there was a warm front approaching," Ryuzaki said. Dahlia knew it was a joke. The way he said it made the weather sound like some sinister force that was out to kill humanity, though it was barely hinted in his voice. She giggled a little, and walked with Ryuzaki the rest of the way up the steps with him in silence. It was a silence that didn't need to be filled with pointless chatter.

Ryuzaki was the first one to reach his first period English class. After him, a few other bookish- types filed in and sat quietly at their desks. Then, the louder kids came in just as the bell was about to ring. Light ran into the room just after the bell rang.

"Mr. Yagami, please make an effort to arrive in the classroom sooner. It's very rude arriving late," the monotonic English teacher said. Everything seemed to be rude to him, though he didn't make an effort to fuss over it to much.

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again," Light apologized in a very calm tone. He was extremely tense, though he didn't show it in his actions. Ryuzaki, however, took note of Light's clenched jaw.

"Are you, too, fearing the weather today?" Ryuzaki asked softly. Light looked at his friend strangely. What Ryuzaki had said was meant to be sarcastic, but Light didn't realize it. But for good measure, Light chuckled a little, still not understanding what his friend had meant.

The assignment of the day was to write a short story about a life changing event. The students received time in class to write their stories. Ryuzaki opted to write about something he made up. The things that had changed his life, he did not want to share with an English teacher. He glanced over to his left, in Light's direction, to see what his friend was writing about. Light was writing about being a freshman on the varsity basketball team.

Before he realized it, the teacher glared up and lazily said, "Ryuzaki, please stay in your own desk, with your eyes on your own paper." Ryuzaki saw that he was awkwardly close to Light in the attempt to read his writing. Light glared at his friend as if to say, "What the hell are you doing?"

However, Ryuzaki kept stealing glances at Light's paper. _Normally, Light's writing is exceedingly in depth and more thought out than that. It almost seems as if he's stopped caring about schoolwork… Could something be taking the place of his thoughts? I wonder…_

Light tried to make himself look as inconspicuous as possible. Ryuzaki's walking with him after English had not helped him relax. He questioned him the entire way. He felt like he was being interrogated. Light was comfortable with deception, it was keeping his calm that was the hard part.

He reasoned that he should keep his usual routine. Light went to Misa's locker and pretended to wait for her with Ryuzaki. He had a good seven minutes to keep up the act. "Hmm…I guess she's not here. That's really strange for her." Light was worried that in saying that, it made him look suspicious, but then realized that would be something he normally would have said.

Ryuzaki noticed that the more he questioned Light, the more tense he became. It wasn't shown through his actions, but he could almost hear Light clenching his jaw as he spoke. He was getting no where with his "friendly" interrogation, so he left the problem unsolved. Something he hated to do. It meant Light had won.

Dahlia walked past the two waiting at Misa's locker. She would have stopped for a brief chat with Ryuzaki, but for some reason, she didn't want to be close to Light. So, she smiled at Ryuzaki and continued walking. She stared at the ground, and tried to get away from Light as fast as she could.

Matt and Mello sat in the grass at a park not too far from school. They told Watari that they didn't feel like going to school today, and since school was only a cover to make them seem normal, it wasn't necessary to go. Especially not in the first week.

Matt played the new videogame he had bought the night before. This time, the character in the game had to rescue a princess from an evil sorcerer. It was a very immature game for Matt. _The reviews said the game would be so much better than this. _As he got further along into the game, he felt more angered with how easy it was to beat, and eventually slammed the game down.

Mello, who was sitting next to Matt was eating a chocolate bar, looked up in surprise. "Did you lose or something?"

"No. I won in about half an hour. I spent fifty bucks on that bullshit." Through Matt's goggles, Mello could see that he was very stressed about the game. Matt pulled out a cigarette hastily. He couldn't get his lighter to light, which stressed him out even more, and when he finally got the cigarette lit, he inhaled deeply. It felt so relaxing to him, and the smell was heavenly.

Mello, on the other hand, hated the smell. "Why don't you smoke that somewhere else? You know? Where I'm not right there?" His voice was angry and his eyes were wild. Mello was known for being emotional and being over dramatic about a lot of things.

"Why don't you go somewhere else then, if you don't like it?" Matt said insultingly. He took a long drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke into Mello's face. It was just a joke, but he couldn't see that Mello was becoming extremely angry. Near had unbolted his door the night before while Mello was asleep. He hated that kid so much already. Near's stunt that morning had made Mello angry to begin with, which is why he didn't want to attend school. Normally, Mello was indifferent to Matt's smoking, as they were together most of the time. Today, he hated it. So when Matt said that, Mello felt like he was going to explode.

He tackled Matt to the ground and yanked the cigarette out of his mouth, threw it to the ground, and stamped on it. He smiled, satisfied. He had won. Or so he thought. You could almost see the steam coming from Matt's ears. He was normally a relaxed kind of guy, but if anyone ruined or took one of his cigarettes before he was done (this applied to his games too), he became a monster.

Matt slammed his fist into Mello's surprised face and tackled him to the ground. "You asshole! I wasn't finished with that!" Matt screamed as he punched Mello even harder. Mello finally kicked his foster brother off of him and stood up, steaming. He didn't want to fight Matt, he was his best friend. So he sat back down in the grass with his fists clenched, and grabbed another bar of chocolate. Matt calmed down a little and sat down again as well. He didn't reach for another cigarette. The two sat in silence. Neither wanted to apologize, because that would make him the loser.

Ryan and Amy Amane arrived at their expensive home around noon. They weren't due back for another day or so, but they missed their daughter so much, they bought an early ticket back home. "Misa isn't going to be home for a few more hours. We should pick her up from school and take her out to lunch," Ryan suggested to his wife. She nodded eagerly. Misa's intelligence was probably inherited from her mother.

Neither parent noticed that their daughter's backpack lay on the kitchen table, untouched from the previous night. They walked up the steps to the master bedroom to leave their suitcases. The Amane's rushed out so quickly, they missed all the evidence that would have suggested that their daughter had not left for school that morning.

"Didn't show up? What do you mean she didn't show up? My daughter would never skip school! Where the hell is she?" Ryan Amane yelled into the school secretary's face. The secretary looked up at the red faced man, and wiped his spit off her face. She looked at his wife. She was staring up at the ceiling and smiling to herself. _This lady is like a little kid._

"I don't know where she is, Mr. Amane. None of the records for today show that she was in class. Maybe she just took a day off." Ryan rubbed his temples. This was going no where. "It might be a good idea to call her friends after school lets out. She may even be at home." The secretary was in no mood to be yelled at, and she wanted this man out of the office as soon as humanly possible.

Ryan sighed angrily and grabbed his wife's wrist tightly. She gasped at the tight grip. Ryan tugged her out of the school. "Thanks for the help, Miss!" she yelled as the doors to the office closed. The secretary looked up from her computer briefly, and then went back to her work.

Ryan stormed up to his daughter's room as soon as he got home. Misa's bed wasn't made…she usually took the time to fix the sheets so they looked nice each morning. The second thing he noticed was that there weren't any clothes in her dirty clothes bin. He peered into her bathroom and didn't find any evidence that she had used it that morning. Ryan began to panic. _I'll wait until I call her friends before I call the police._

Amy yelled up at her husband, "Honey, why is Misa's backpack here? She's forgotten all of her things!" Ryan's eyes widened. _Where the hell is my daughter?_

**Thanks for reading!**

**I really appreciate the feedback I'm getting! This is my first fan fiction, and it is by far the longest story I have ever written. Suggestions and commentary are always welcome!**

**Also, my updates on the story may come a little slower. I'm really busy with school and it's hard to find time to write, but I'm trying my best!**


	6. Notebook

Light sat in the back of his homeroom, blankly staring at his Death Notebook. He brought it to school that day…he hadn't come up with an explanation for that, yet. It may have been that he felt paranoid leaving it in his house, as it could turn into evidence against him, or it may have been due to the fact that Light hadn't let go of the notebook since he fell asleep that night.

_I've killed two people because of this. I am a murderer…was this plan even worth it? I'm risking my life here. If they catch me, I'll be sentenced to die. But, if this creates the impact that I want it to, maybe the world will start heading in the right direction, trying to prevent it from happening again. However, I can't make an impact just by killing a homeless man and a cheerleader…but the more I kill, the more of a possibility there is that I'll be caught._

_I want to be the reason the world starts moving forward again. People don't listen to words, the react based upon another person's actions. This is me taking an action. I am not a murderer. I am Kira. I shouldn't worry about people suspecting me. The police force is incompetent, and anyway, I'm just a high school student. Actually, I'm one of the best students in the country. I don't look like a murderer at all._

Light's thought process was interrupted by a small freshman tapping on his shoulder. Actually, he was more like, slapping Light's shoulder. "Hi! My name is Taru Mikami! You've been my hero ever since you won the state basketball tournament for our school three years ago!" The kid rambled on and on about how much he adored Light. It was starting to become annoying. Luckily, Light's friend, Kiyomi Takada, saw his distress.

"Taru, I think Light just wants to be alone for a while. You can talk to him later, though," she smiled sweetly at the boy. Taru was a bookish type. He liked repetition and strict orders that didn't allow much creativity. Light was like a god to him, however.

Taru hung his head down, dejected, as he walked up the row of desks until he found his own, and sat down. "Thanks, Kiyomi. I was beginning to get a headache." Light sleepily looked up at his friend. He began to look into another direction within the room, and failed to notice that Kiyomi was slowly swiping Light's notebook from under his fingers.

Ryuzaki stood outside the school by the flag post. The drawstring on the flag rattled against the pole making a sharp clanking sound. He looked down at his watch. Watari would arrive in no more than five minutes. Ryuzaki was in an especially good mood today. He had solved the murder case from Cedar Rapids. The murderer was actually the girls' father. It was sickening. The man had ended two lives before their time, just so he could prove a point to his ex-wife. How pathetic.

Despite how terrible the case's solution was, Ryuzaki couldn't stop smiling. He always felt accomplished after a case had been closed. That feeling of success he felt afterward was priceless.

There was a presence at Ryuzaki's side. He looked to his left to see Near playing with robots on a handheld game. Near was always quiet. His social skills were extremely underdeveloped. So while Ryuzaki felt strange standing next to him, Near felt no problem with it.

There was a soft noise that escaped from Ryuzaki's jean pocket. He dug out his cell phone by the antenna and smiled at the caller ID. He tapped the talk button and delicately held the cell phone to his ear. "Yes?"

"Hey, Ryuzaki? Can you meet me at the flag post outside? I'll give you a ride home today, but I need to talk to you," Dahlia's voice sounded tense and rushed. Ryuzaki could hear it in her voice how badly she was shaking.

"Yes, that would be fine. I'm already at the flag post. But as usual, I am unable to let others know where I live," Ryuzaki pretended to be calm, but bombs were going off in his head. _She's been acting strangely all day… whatever is wrong with her… it is obviously troubling her deeply._

"I understand. I'll be outside soon." Ryuzaki flipped his phone shut. He stared out into the parking lot, watching as the cars backed out and pulled away…then another car would repeat the pattern. _It must be human nature to desire repetition. _

A hand touched Ryuzaki's shoulder delicately. "Are you ready to go?" Dahlia asked in a tiny voice. Her eyes were glued to the ground. She came across to be almost sad.

The two slowly walked to Dahlia's car in silence. Ryuzaki reasoned that since she didn't want to talk on the phone about what was troubling her, she wouldn't want to talk in public about it at all. Asking any questions about it would be pointless.

Dahlia climbed into the driver's seat, while Ryuzaki took the passenger seat. It was hard for him to assume his normal sitting position in this kind of car, so he felt very uncomfortable. Dahlia looked at Ryuzaki, straight through him. It was the first time she made eye contact all day. Ryuzaki pulled back a little from the intensity of her gaze. Dahlia looked away, appearing as if she felt rejected.

"Ryuzaki, something is very wrong," Dahlia spoke quietly. Even though no one had personally hurt her, she still felt hurt for some reason. She rubbed her arms as if she were cold, and bit down hard on her lip. "I overheard the girl whose locker is next to mine talking on the phone to someone. The man on the phone was frantic and he asked her if she knew where his daughter, Misa, was. The girl said she hadn't seen her all day or talked to her since the night before. I'm probably overreacting, but something isn't right, I just know it."

The car's engine hummed in the background. It was the only noise that broke into the intense silence. Ryuzaki thought about what she said for a while. _I wish that I could do something to help, but if I act now, my identity could be leaked._ "Dahlia, I don't think you're over reacting. But whatever is happening with Misa is out of your control at the moment. It won't help you to worry about it. I don't like to see you like this." Ryuzaki's last few words slipped. He didn't mean to let on what he thought about it, but it was true, he hated seeing Dahlia so…off.

Dahlia looked at Ryuzaki as if she were about to cry. He was about to apologize for what he said, even though he didn't find it to be rude, but Dahlia leaned over to Ryuzaki, inches away from him. She pushed him back against the passenger's seat and studied his face for a few moments. Ryuzaki's heart pounded so loudly he could hear it ringing throughout his body.

A tear slid down Dahlia's pale face and into the curve of her lip. She closed her eyes, embarrassed to be crying. Ryuzaki was still pushed back into his seat, not forcefully; he could have brushed Dahlia away from him if he wanted to. He brought his hand to Dahlia's cheek. She stared back at his dark, focused eyes with her bright and crying eyes. She leaned forward, breaking the space between them, and slowly began to kiss Ryuzaki. He wrapped his hands around her waste as the kiss deepened. As she kissed him, Ryuzaki felt like he was amid a slow rolling fire, but he was left untouched by the flames.

Sochiro Yagami sat at his desk in the city's police headquarters. He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. _I haven't seen my wife or my son in a week. I am a terrible father. _

Suddenly the door burst open. "Chief! We just received an important call regarding a missing person!" The young cop, who went by the name of Matsuda, was regarded as an idiot in the headquarters. Though he sometimes helped to lighten the mood with his antics, he was usually not helpful. He was only hired because of recommendation.

Sochiro sighed, "Matsuda, I know you've only been working here a short while, but missing people aren't as big a deal here as you are making it. Of course it matters, but you don't need to fuss so much."

"Sorry chief! It's just… the man who called in was a father looking for his daughter, and he sounded so sad. It wouldn't feel right to just brush it off as another person to find, would it?"

"Yes, you are right about that. Did you go through the procedures for filing a call about a missing person?" Matsuda nodded quickly, "Good. I'll start by calling the family. May I have the number?"

Matsuda handed the chief a paper that he was holding. It had the contact information of the man who called about the missing person. Sochiro dialed the number under the category of 'house phone.' A tired voice answered after only a few seconds. It seemed as though he was waiting by the phone. "Yes, this is Sochiro Yagami, chief of the city's police headquarters. I understand that you are missing someone?"

_Back in Light Yagami's homeroom…_

Light grabbed at the notebook, but Kiyomi yanked it from his fingers. She flipped to the first page. Light tried to get it back, but she kept moving out of reach as she read. She grew tense as she read through the entry. Her face was drained of all its color. "Light… what have you done?" she whispered.

"It's nothing, really. It's just a stupid English project. I didn't want you to see it because it's only a rough draft. It's really terrible wri-"

Kiyomi stopped him, mid-sentence, "Light, I am extremely offended. I am not a stupid girl. This isn't any kind of English project I've ever heard of." Her eyes were intense, glaring at Light. He pulled back slightly. _She won't let this go, I'm sure of it. Gah! Why did I bring that thing to school? Let alone into homeroom! I have never made such a simple, stupid mistake in my life!_

"Don't think I'll forget about this. I want to talk to you after school. You shouldn't worry though. It seems of great importance to you, so I won't tell anyone about it." Kiyomi was still glaring at Light, but she appeared to be genuinely curious as to what the notebook was about.

_I shouldn't worry. She only read the first entry. I can still come up with an excuse for this. I am smarter than this. I… am Kira. Takada will more than likely figure this out, but not in the way she intends to._

**Thanks for reading!**

**I'm really sorry if my writing style seems off. Its hard finding time to write these days (: **


	7. Kiyomi

Soichiro Yagami pinched the bridge of his nose. He had been calling all of Misa's, the missing girl's, friends and anyone who had seen her before she had gone missing, all day. The next step was to actually leave the station and interrogate people face to face. While doing that, he would make a trip to the Amane's and question them about their daughter.

He was already extremely tired. All he wanted to do was to go home and see his family. He knew how hard it was on his wife to have him rarely be at home. It wasn't fair to her to do this, but Soichiro felt it was his duty to society to keep justice.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his office door. "Yes, come in," the chief said tiredly. A man in his early forties stepped through the door. He had a dark afro, but his face was serious.

"Chief Yagami, I understand that you are dedicated to your work, but I think that you should take the rest of the day off. I can carry on your work for you until you get back."

Soichiro looked up from his desk. "Mister Aizawa, I can't do that. I need to finish what I have started here." He understood his co-worker's concern, but he also felt it was unneeded. He could make the decision of when to leave himself.

"You haven't left your work for nearly a week now. It's high time you took a break. The rest of the force agrees with me. I can take over for now."

Aizawa wasn't planning on giving this up. He would drag the chief out if he had to. It wasn't that he wanted the chief to leave, but Soichiro was beginning to become irrational from his lack of sleep and longing to see his family.

"Fine, fine. Only for tonight, though. I want to be back here helping out with this case tomorrow," Chief Yagami complied. Aizawa gave him a look of success. The chief was too tired to argue about this anyway.

The two officers walked out of the building together, but when they reached their cars, drove into separate directions. Soichiro Yagami drove away to his house, while Aizawa drove in the opposite direction to the Amane's house for interrogations.

* * *

Aizawa sighed as he rang the doorbell. A woman answered the door. She had big, doe eyes and long blonde hair. She stared up at Aizawa silently. He looked at her, strangely, "Hi, I am here to speak with your husband…err…Ryan Amane. Is he home?"

The woman's eyes brightened, "Oh, yes! You must be with the police! Come in, he's in the kitchen!" As she led Aizawa into the house, she began humming to herself an unrecognizable tune.

Ryan sat at the kitchen table with his head rested in his arms. He was trying to hold back the tears that so badly wanted to escape. However, he didn't want to cause his wife to worry any more than she had to. She would be even more anxious if she saw him in this state.

Misa was their only child; Ryan couldn't bear to lose her. He would have done anything to know where she was. _If only I had paid more attention. If only I hadn't left her alone so often. If only I told her how much I loved her everyday, just so she knew I did….If only… _Ryan shuddered as a small tear slid from under his box shaped glasses and dripped onto the table.

He recalled a time, almost a decade ago, when he took Misa to a park with him after a long day at work.

_Ryan had been pushing his daughter on the swings, and she was laughing uncontrollably with joy. "Daddy push me higher! Higher, Daddy, I want to touch the sky!" At that moment, he truly thought his daughter was the most beautiful thing on Earth. He laughed with her as she reached up towards the sky when the swing reached its highest point, and as it fell, he stopped the swing and caught his daughter in his arms. _

"_Gotcha!" Misa giggled even louder at this. She jumped off the swing and turned to her father. She looked up at him with her innocent eyes as she smiled. "Daddy, I love you." The small girl radiated joy as she ran towards her father's open arms. Ryan held her tightly and said, "I love you too, Misa. Don't ever forget that."_ It was the fondest memory he had of his daughter. After that day, work made him busier, and left even less time for him to see his daughter. By the time a year had passed, Misa had a full time babysitter, and her parents were only seen on weekends. Even then, they had no time for the park, or any other activities that she had wanted to do. _If only I could take those years back,_ Ryan thought.

Suddenly, he heard the doorbell ring in the living room and wiped his face. He straightened his posture and reached for the newspaper, so he wouldn't give the appearance of weakness. It was a subconscious thing he took on as a habit. Ryan used to be the target of many bullies as a child. He learned that if he stood tall and pretended not to care, they usually left him alone. So now, even with a different type of "bully", he felt the need to be stronger than he was actually feeling; Even if it made him feel weaker in doing so.

A man with a dark afro stepped into the kitchen. He held up a badge for Ryan to see. "My name is Suichi Aizawa. I'm with the NYC Police Department investigating on behalf of a missing person." The man's voice was low and serious, and his eyes reflected focus and determination.

"My name is Ryan Amane. I'm _Misa's_ father," the two shook hands. Ryan hated that this man referred to his daughter as just a "missing person." _She has a name, you know. _"What do you need to start investigating?"

* * *

Kiyomi was on her way over to Light's house. After school, she directly drove there. She _had_ to understand what was in the notebook. What she saw in it, honestly, scared her to death. She couldn't imagine Light ever hurting anyone, he was always so calm and collected. However, there was a different side to him in the notebook, something she couldn't explain. It was a different person, it didn't sound like the Light she had known since kindergarten at all.

She reached the gate to her friend's house and unhooked the latch. When she reached the door, Light's mother opened the door in her face, smacking her in the nose. Kiyomi yelped in pain. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Let me help you!" Lights mother said panicked. She never wanted to hurt anyone, even if it was an accident.

"I'm fine, really. It's not a big deal. I wasn't paying attention," Kiyomi said in forgiveness. She held a hand to her nose where the door hit her. She wasn't bleeding, but the pain was intense and throbbing. Light's mother had her hands lightly touching Kiyomi's shoulders. She had a worried look in her face.

"No, it was my fault; I was in such a hurry!" Light's mother looked around quickly. She really did need to be somewhere, and in her rushing, had only wasted more time. "I don't mean to leave you like this, but I'm extremely late. You can go ahead inside, and put some ice on your nose. Do whatever you need to make yourself comfortable. Light is up in his room, I'm assuming that's who you wanted to see." Her voice trailed off as she reached the car. She quickly backed out of the driveway and left Kiyomi on the doorstep. It wasn't to be taken as an inconsiderate action, and Kiyomi knew this.

She walked into the kitchen and grabbed some frozen peas from the fridge. As she held them to her face, she slowly walked up the stairs to Light's room, sighing when she reached the first step.

The door was already slightly open, so she lightly pushed it enough for her to get through. Light was at his desk, and was extremely consumed in what he was writing. Kiyomi didn't want to scare him, so she decided to just knock on the door, even though she was already inside.

Light stiffened his sitting position and turned his head around. "Kiyomi…you scared me," he said nervously. He glanced at the door and then back at his friend, "Well…I guess you're already in…" Kiyomi smiled in response as she shut the door behind her quietly. She stepped over to Light's desk, nonchalantly, and peaked over his shoulder.

"What are you working on? You seem to be in your own world," there was just a hint of concern in her voice. Kiyomi deeply cared about Light. They had known each other since the first day of kindergarten. There were no secrets between them. So it wasn't strange that Light's sudden secrecy bothered her. Now, it was almost as if Light didn't even want her there.

"It's just some ACT test prep. I have to be ready for those tests if I want to be accepted into a good college," Light smiled his winning smile. His eyes were so innocent. Kiyomi felt so badly that she had suspected him of anything sinister. She was a smart girl, one of the best in her class. However, she could be so easily manipulated.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Kiyomi blushed and held her free hand to the back of her head. _How am I going to bring up the notebook without seeming awkward…._

Light finally noticed the bag of peas that Kiyomi was holding to her face. She quickly explained the ordeal that happened on Light's doorstep. Light chuckled a little. In a side glance, he smirked at her. Kiyomi hoped her feelings weren't becoming too obvious…it took so much to attempt to hide them.

Light shut what he was working on and left it at his desk. He pushed his chair back and casually walked over to where Kiyomi was standing. He stood next to her, extremely close, but not touching. "Now, what was it you came here for? Is there anything I can do?"

Kiyomi melted inside. Light's dark, innocent eyes made her feel so guilty for ever thinking he could be planning something sinister. _I can't ask him about the notebook…he might get mad. _"I just came over to say hi…we never hang out anymore and," she scratched the back of her head again, "I kind of miss those days." She stared at the floor as her face grew hot. _God…it's so obvious. I can't believe he hasn't called me a stalker or something yet…_

Light smiled slightly, "Yeah, I miss that too. It's too bad that we're both so busy with school. I only see you in homeroom now. Speaking of homeroom, I think I have some explaining to do." Kiyomi's eyes widened. _He's going to tell me? I thought he would just drop it…he was so bent on not telling me not even an hour ago._

"That notebook you found," Light gave complete eye contact to Kiyomi. A sudden seriousness spread over his face, "It's not just any notebook. It's a plan." _So I was right. But why is he telling me this? _"I wanted you to know about it because I have never kept a secret from you, Kiyomi, and I don't intend to start. However, you cannot tell anyone what I am about to tell you. Otherwise, we will both be in a lot of trouble." Kiyomi nodded in agreement. At this point, she would do anything Light instructed her to do.

Light informed Kiyomi of the past week's events, even the parts concerning Misa's murder. Kiyomi felt as though she was going to be sick. _ He has to be joking… _"Light…even though you say that you can't keep anything from me, I still feel as though you have another motive in telling me this. I won't tell anyone, but I want to know what you're hiding."

He chuckled lightly, "Kiyomi, you have always been so smart. You're right. There is a hidden motive in telling you this," Light paused for a moment, making Kiyomi nervous, "I want you to help me with this plan. I want you to help me create a new world. We will live like gods…and you…will be my goddess…if you accept," Light looked at Kiyomi intensely. Her eyes were giant orbs, utterly surprised at his request. _Did he just…propose? No…there wasn't a ring…but… _Light interrupted her thought process by gently pulling her chin towards him. He stared deeply into her eyes, as he slowly whispered, "I have always felt this way for you." He slowly kissed Kiyomi. It didn't last long, but it was the very thing Kiyomi had wanted all along.

Light had his arms around Kiyomi's waist. Her hands lightly touched his chest. She laid her head between her hands there. Kiyomi felt completely at ease. "I hate to send you on your way, but I understand that you need time to take this all in. Please, take your time in your decision," She looked up at him in admiration as she nodded.

She walked out of the house in a daze, trying to decide if what had just happened was actually real. Kiyomi's walking was a dizzy mess, that somewhat resembled a drunk. She almost ran into her car on her way to it. She was smiling the entire way.

Light watched her leave, smirking to himself. He was on the brink of uncontrollable laughter.

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I've just become really busy, and I don't want to rush through a story and make it sound bad. **

**I appreciate the reviews I've gotten so far; they really give me a better idea of what I'm doing well with in the story and what I should improve on. Thank you!**


	8. Discovery

Teru Mikami had always been a person who yearned for justice. It was his dream to become a prosecutor and help to create a more just society. This sense of justice, perhaps, came from being bullied as a child. He had never been the most popular with his classmates.

He led a routine life, even for someone of his age. If his routine was put off by even a little, he would be off the rest of the day. He thought through everything with precision, and always made the more mature choice, that sometimes would surprise adults. Some would tell him to "be more spontaneous," but in his mind, this was all he needed to have a good life.

Teru looked up to Light Yagami, faithfully. Light was the picture of excellence to Teru. He would do anything to help him, even if it wasn't in his favor. So it wasn't surprising that when Light began to talk to him, Teru was completely open to whatever Light had to say. It was, of course, Kiyomi Takada's idea to bring him into this plan they were creating.

Light figured that by this time, the police were going to start a more thorough search for Misa, rather than just interviewing people around the school. On that note, Light was particularly good at faking distress. With extreme care in his interrogation, he used all the elements he could to make himself appear to be innocent. It was particularly hard for him not to laugh while being interrogated. They asked the most basic questions, over and over, just worded differently. It was so easy to see that there was hardly any process in the investigation thus far. Light had even pretended to cry when they mentioned a good chance of Misa being dead when Light was about to exit the interrogation room.

Now it was all a matter of directing the officials' attention elsewhere. He had to kill again, but it wouldn't be him this time.

* * *

"So what do you think happened to Misa?" Dahlia asked Ryuzaki as they sat on a bench in the hallway before school. The two maintained their usual talk at school, despite what had happened in Dahlia's car. Ryuzaki had explained that his foster dad didn't want a relationship affecting his schoolwork, so it had to be kept a secret. It didn't matter much because neither of them were interested in public displays of affection.

Ryuzaki touched his thumb to his lip and looked towards the ceiling, thinking. "It's too soon to judge that. I think once the police find a few more clues as to her whereabouts, it would be easier to say what happened. But it's not like _they_ are going to try their hardest to figure it out. It's just another missing person for them. The police will probably try to get through with this as best and as quickly as possible, as there are many missing people to be found."

"So, if she's dead, what will they do?" It wasn't like Dahlia was ever very fond of Misa, but the whole situation didn't set right with her.

Ryuzaki's eyes still appeared to be distant, "If they simply say that she's dead and there isn't a body to prove it, then basically, the police are stating that they have given up, and she is impossible to find. However, if they do find a body, then obviously, they will survey the crime scene and determine if it was a murder or not. If it was homicide, they will look for clues as to who the killer is."

Dahlia nodded her head in understanding. But she didn't understand Ryuzaki's knowledge of criminal justice. While his answer to her last question was fairly trivial, there were times when he had gone into far more extensive detail than that in regards to her questions about Misa. However, he had never mentioned taking any class about criminal justice. _He knows a lot about other subjects as well. He probably just researched it. But even if he did, I'm still curious as to why he has gone to that extent. Then again, why does he research all of these other things, and only leave his house for school, or if I ask to spend time with him…_

"You're particularly quiet today, Dahlia," he looked at her with big, dark eyes, curiously, "is it because I haven't offered to share my cake?"

Dahlia giggled and hid her smile with her hand, "No, it's fine. It's all yours." Despite the rejection, Ryuzaki held the slice of cake closer to Dahlia's face and smiled, as if to advertise it to her. She smiled and shook her head, no. Ryuzaki shrugged and took a giant bite of the red velvet cake. His puffed out cheeks made him resemble a chipmunk.

A few seconds later, the first bell rang. With his mouth still full of cake, Ryuzaki said goodbye to Dahlia. As he walked down the hallway to his English class, he couldn't help but think about Misa's case. _This could be interesting if the police claim that she is dead. _A little smirk swept across his stoic face.

"What do you mean 'too little evidence thus far?' Haven't you been searching for nearly two weeks?" Ryan Amane screamed into the phone. He held his face in his hands, clenching his teeth, "I just want to see my little girl again!"

A nervous voice replied, "I understand, but none of the people we interviewed are very suspicious. They all seem to be genuinely worried, and want to know where she is just as much as you do."

"Then you aren't trying hard enough!" Ryan slammed his hand onto the kitchen table as he stood up. A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead. His graying hair was a mess from running his hands through it countless times. _Damn it! I'm getting the most basic answers from the police! How hard can it be to find one goddamn person?_

"Sir, we are trying as hard as we can, but you have to understand how many cases we work on at a time here it's-"

"Is that all this is to you? Just another case? This is my daughter! She could be tortured, dead, I don't know! But what are you doing about it? Have you given up?" Ryan's breathing was heavy and quick, but there wasn't a reply on the other line. He growled in frustration as he slammed the phone down.

His mood quickly changed as he sat back down at the table with his head in his hands, and cried. That seemed to be all he did lately. It was all he could do. _I shouldn't even be talking to the police that way. I'm the one who hasn't done anything…_

_

* * *

_

Mello had made a habit out of driving around town after school. What was the point of having an amazing, fast, imported car if he wasn't going to drive it…everywhere? He always brought his "mafia" (Note: the "mafia" is sleazy girls that always seem to cling to Mello. This was the name they gave themselves. It's kind of a 'Charlie's Angels' thing). Today was nothing different. They had the opportunity to drive faster than usual down the streets of a deserted part of town.

One of the girls got tired of speeding, for fear of crashing. Mello abided by her request and slowed the car to a speed of thirty miles per hour. Another girl, who was slightly older than Mello, who had been in the passenger seat and had been quiet the whole car ride, suddenly gasped as they passed an alleyway. Her gasp startled Mello, and he suddenly hit the brake. The other girls in the car squealed in surprise.

"What is it? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Mello screamed in the girl's face.

Shaking, she replied, "Look in that alleyway…I swear I saw someone...or something."

"Well, yeah, we're in the city. There's going to be people," Mello said with irritation in his voice. He wanted to continue his drive. The girl looked at him with big eyes, as if pleading him to look. "Fine," Mello sighed. He opted to take his gun, just in case.

He took a large bite of a chocolate bar he had brought with him as he shut the door to his car. With his hand on his gun, he walked into the alley. His eyes were lead to the corner, where a maggot ridden corpse, almost, stared him right in the eye. _Shit…_

_

* * *

_**I've finally updated! :) Thanks to my few readers for..well..reading :)**_  
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